I never understood why we—and by “we” I mean “society”—celebrates arbitrary milestones like the first of the year (today), or even the round number anniversaries like 10 and 25. I suppose it's a forcing function. It's good to have a forcing function that makes you stop and reflect on the past, and these are like default milestones that you can adopt.
But being the contrarian thinker I am, how about reflecting and celebrating using more practical choices rather than round numbers? I think the winter solstice is a much better date to reflect on the old year and celebrate the new, as the days stop getting shorter and start getting longer. In a brilliant marketing move, the early Christian church placed Christmas so close to the solstice to entice converts without requiring that they give up their current winter celebrations.
As for resolutions to be a better person, another New Year’s tradition, now is always the best time to take that on. Don’t wait for some arbitrary date to come by. If you want to eat healthier, or get in shape, or work on a financial plan, or be a nicer person – start now. And the time to reflect should be at least 4–7× per year. Waiting a year to reflect on how you’re doing is simply too long of a cycle.
But being the contrarian thinker I am, how about reflecting and celebrating using more practical choices rather than round numbers? I think the winter solstice is a much better date to reflect on the old year and celebrate the new, as the days stop getting shorter and start getting longer. In a brilliant marketing move, the early Christian church placed Christmas so close to the solstice to entice converts without requiring that they give up their current winter celebrations.
As for resolutions to be a better person, another New Year’s tradition, now is always the best time to take that on. Don’t wait for some arbitrary date to come by. If you want to eat healthier, or get in shape, or work on a financial plan, or be a nicer person – start now. And the time to reflect should be at least 4–7× per year. Waiting a year to reflect on how you’re doing is simply too long of a cycle.
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